Looking for a little advice on an issue I am having since modifying my windmill

Offgridandlovingit
Offgridandlovingit Solar Expert Posts: 38 ✭
in Wind Power Generation #1
Hey guys, I am having a little problem since I put new blades on my small wind turbine. The blades I put on it are substantially wider and a bit longer, so they seem to be catching the lower winds much better. The problem is, almost as soon as it gets up to cut in speeds, the entire thing spins out of the wind and slows back to a stop. Any suggestions on an easy way to correct this while still allowing for full range of motion to track the wind? Thanks for the help.
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  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    #2
    Re: Looking for a little advice on an issue I am having since modifying my windmill

    sounds to me that the tail section is too small now.
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  • icarus
    icarus Solar Expert Posts: 5,436 ✭✭✭✭
    #3
    Re: Looking for a little advice on an issue I am having since modifying my windmill

    Contact Chris Olsen, member here,,

    Tony
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  • Offgridandlovingit
    Offgridandlovingit Solar Expert Posts: 38 ✭
    #4
    Re: Looking for a little advice on an issue I am having since modifying my windmill

    That's kind of what I was thinking. Guess my next project will be making a larger tail for it so that it doesn't keep doing this. On a positive note, i'm pretty sure that the blades are going to make the difference I was looking for on the production.
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  • inetdog
    inetdog Solar Expert Posts: 3,123 ✭✭✭✭
    #5
    Re: Looking for a little advice on an issue I am having since modifying my windmill
    Offgridandlovingit wrote: »
    That's kind of what I was thinking. Guess my next project will be making a larger tail for it so that it doesn't keep doing this. On a positive note, i'm pretty sure that the blades are going to make the difference I was looking for on the production.
    Have you figured out what effect it will have on whatever furling mechanism originally provided protection against high wind speeds?
    For example, if the original overspeed protection relied in whole or part on self-stalling blades and you replaced the blades, you may need to add replacement protection
    SMA SB 3000, old BP panels.
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  • Offgridandlovingit
    Offgridandlovingit Solar Expert Posts: 38 ✭
    #6
    Re: Looking for a little advice on an issue I am having since modifying my windmill

    I haven't looked into it too much, but I do know that it has a manual brake switch as well as an automatic brake for when the batteries get fully charged so that it doesn't freespin once the batteries are fully charged that should take care of most of it. With my less than stellar install location and height, i won't have to worry about overspeeding too much, and if they are calling for too much wind, I will be turning the brake on, or lowering the unit until the high winds pass. Thanks for reminding me about the potential for issues with the new blades though. Gonna do a bit more research on the upper limits of what this particular turbine is supposed to be able to handle. Would hate to burn up my equipment because it was working too good.
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